Florida is one of 22 states that allow subs to teach with only a high school degree. Most of the 67 public school districts allow subs to teach with a high school equivalency degree, giving them less education than teacher aides.

"I think it's important that we at least set standards, beyond just being 18, for substitutes who teach in the classroom," said Senate Education Chairman Lee Constantine, R-Altamonte Springs.

He said he will work with the Department of Education and others to define the type of education and training requirements the state should mandate. He anticipated the measure would be rolled into a larger bill on teacher quality.

Rep. David Simmons, chairman of House Education Appropriations, said his committee will look into the use of poorly educated subs in Florida schools. Simmons, R-Altamonte Springs, said the focus will be on better education, training and pay.

Both legislators said their efforts were driven by Orlando Sentinel articles about low standards for substitutes. The newspaper reported last weekend that students' reading scores suffered in classes led by substitutes for at least four weeks.

Students in low-performing schools were more likely to have subs than pupils in A-rated schools, the Sentinel found.

"It has exposed some serious flaws that exist and we're going to deal with it," Simmons said.

At the state Department of Education, deputy chancellor Betty Coxe said the state will ask school districts for data on how substitutes are used and whether low-performing schools have a disproportionately high number of subs.

For two years, the state has encouraged districts to train subs and require that they have at least two years of college experience. She said the state may also search for ways to minimize teacher absences so that districts would not be so reliant on subs.

"In an ideal world, teachers wouldn't miss so much. We would be providing students with a more-stable learning environment," Coxe said.

Orange County substitute Dinah Stephens, who is working on her bachelor's degree, said schools should find a way to keep teachers from missing school.

"I think there should be more incentives for teachers to be in the classroom so subs wouldn't have to be in that position in the first place," she said.

In Brevard County, district officials said they responded this week to the newspaper articles by asking the superintendent to review substitute pay. They recommended a new salary structure that would give subs more money in hopes of attracting higher quality subs.

Right now, subs with less than a bachelor's degree get $40 a day, and subs with a bachelor's degree and higher earn $50 a day. The last time Brevard increased sub pay was about eight years ago.

One Brevard school board member also suggested investigating the possibility of closing the district for the week of Thanksgiving because of high absentee rates among teachers, officials said. That would save the district on the cost of subs.

Elsewhere in Central Florida, education officials said they don't want to see students' time wasted by untrained and undereducated subs. They also cautioned that finding enough college-educated subs could be a struggle.

Orange County Superintendent Ron Blocker said his district has increased the number of subs available for classes over the past few years. Now may be the time to take a harder look at qualifications, he said.

"I guess now we need to look at training or other requirements," Blocker said.

Orange School Board Chairman Bert Carrier said he expects board members to discuss the substitute-teacher issue. Carrier said the district could probably improve its substitute training, but he worries that good instructors may not be able to dedicate more time for it.

"I know that our goal is to improve the quality of education for Orange County students every single day," Carrier said.

In Osceola County, School Board member David Stone asked officials at a meeting Tuesday whether Osceola could emulate a program in Fulton County, Ga., where most substitute teachers have at least bachelor's degrees and the district offers dozens of hours of training.

"It's extremely difficult to fill classes as it is," replied Terri Dew, assistant superintendent of school operations. She said that they aren't always able to fill all openings, especially during high-vacation months, such as December.

In terms of state requirements, Constantine said he realizes substitute requirements could be difficult for rural counties, and he said he would look for ways the state could work with them.

David Mosrie, chief executive officer of the Florida Association of District School Superintendents, said Florida should expand the pool of available teachers so schools would not have to rely on subs to fill vacancies and long-term absences.

But with the state class-size amendment demanding more teachers and the federal No Child Left Behind Act requiring teachers be certified in their field, the likelihood is that students are going to see more subs in the class in the future.

"The influence of the class-size reduction amendment has only made the situation worse in that districts need more substitutes and fewer and fewer highly qualified people are available," he said.